Seeking Revenge
by Mesalline
Summary: The Master is back! And this time with another cunning plan to take over the world, and with a doppleganger. Team Tardis and Torchwood are in a bit of a pickle, how will they get themselves out of this mess? Rissin Mittens and V. Manipulators Ahoy!
1. Reflection on life

_A/N: This is my very first fanfiction. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as i enjoy writing it. I love any kind of feed back, mostly Constructive Critisism. I love Crit, so if you see anything wrong with my story at any point don't hesitate to drop me a comment and let me know! The plot will get quite complicated in later chapters however i will try not to make it too complicated to you will all be able to understand it. This has been Betad by Smtfhw over at Live Journal. Many thanks to her! _

The brilliant blue sky was finally fading, slowly turning shades of different colours, tinted with gold from the sun. The sky was bleeding out before him, blue turning into pink, pink fading into orange, orange turning into a deep blood red, almost crimson, a rich mixture of colours that could outdo any painting. It looked like it had been hand painted by god himself, a painting of which no paints could re-capture, and it mesmerized him.

Still scattered across the sky were clouds in every shade of grey imaginable, flecked with the colours swirling around them. They billowed past at speeds no man-made vehicle could ever reach; until they were reduced to nothing by the sheer force of the wind.

Like people he thought. Yes, clouds were a lot like people. They came in all shapes, and sizes, different colours and races, and still they tried to outdo each other just like the clouds which seemed to be trying to see which of them could move faster than the next, before fading away. Because that's all life is, he thought. A race, to see how far you can get ahead of the next person before you fade away, and then when it's all too late, you wish that you'd just stopped and spared a thought for the person walking the opposite way to you, the person standing in front of you in the queue. You wish, when it's too late, that you hadn't been ignorant of the people around you.

The wind billowed past him, every second threatening to blow him over the edge. The drop was alarmingly high, but he didn't care, because he knew he wouldn't die. Jack looked down at the little dots whizzing below him. He smiled faintly. Yes, people definitely were like clouds, he thought. The difference, he realized, was it was either make or break.

Toshiko Sato finally made it up to the top of the tower block. She stood behind a grey door, which she knew would open to reveal a beautiful sight, the whole of Cardiff city, stretching out far beyond what the eye could see. But that was not what she had come up here for this evening. She had to find Jack, and she knew he would be here. It was a perfect place for solitude, a moment of quietness, reflection, prayer. Grasping hold of the metal handle she pulled open the door, grabbing hold of the wall to stop herself being buffeted over by the frantic wind.

The weeds had grown through the cracks where the bleached white blocks had been cemented together. Stepping out onto the roof, she looked up to find Jack in all his glory, his grey military coat blowing behind him.

"It's rude to stare," he said without looking round.

"And it's rude to talk to someone with your back to them," she replied, smiling. "Penny for your thoughts?" she asked, knowing he often came up here to reflect when he had too much on his mind.

He laughed. "Tosh, my thoughts are worth more than a penny!" he answered cheekily.

"You're too big-headed for your own good!" It often went like this, she thought, friendly banter, then back to work. But she often wondered what he did think about, what he had seen in his life, what he knew, because she knew he could never die, and she couldn't begin to imagine the amount of knowledge about the past, present and future he could hold.

"Maybe I am," he said.

Tosh frowned, this wasn't like him; something was different, something had changed in Captain Jack Harkness.

"Everybody's going about their daily lives, with not a care in the world. They don't realise that this, this is all that there is. It's all pointless, completely pointless. Why do they carry on? Because they don't understand, so they ignore it. Like a child playing, they don't understand that if they run out into the road and are killed, there's nothing. It just ends, with a click of a finger, God's finger, if there is a god. Or if the child is playing in the playground, and he falls, someone catches him before he falls, or picks him up off the ground after he's grazed his hand. There was no one to catch me..."

Tosh stepped up behind him. He still didn't look round. Instead he was poised, as if ready to jump right off the building. His balance didn't falter, even with the force of the wind around them.

Toshiko pushed her hair away from her eyes with a finger, and turned to him. "I've had some strange readings from my scans. I thought you'd want to know. They're irregular, but I have no idea what they're coming from, possibly alien, possibly not…." She trailed off, wondering if Jack had heard her. "Jack?"

"Humans," he simply said.

Toshiko looked at him questioningly.

"Funny things, humans. Ignorant and they leave each other behind..."

She was beginning to wonder if this was going somewhere, when he said, "Same with aliens. In that respect, they aren't much different..."

"Sorry Jack but I really have no idea…" she began, when he seemed to snap out of his mood

"Anyway what's new?" he said, finally twisting round to face her.

Tosh decided to let it drop, for now. "There have been some unusual energy readings coming from an old pub in Cardiff Bay."

Jack raised an eyebrow.

"I haven't been able to work out what's causing them. They're too irregular. Could be alien, could be human readings. I'm monitoring them carefully though, and I'll alert you if I think it's anything serious." She paused.

"What's the pub called?" he asked.

"Bad Wolf Inn."

"What?" He turned sharply to face her. "Say that again. Are you sure it's called Bad Wolf Inn? Tosh, you have to be absolutely certain!"

Toshiko was startled at her boss's urgency. "Yes. I'm positive! I've been there a couple of times myself. It's called Bad Wolf Inn!"

She saw something different in his eyes then, and recoiled slightly as they visibly darkened. Staring back at the busy Cardiff Street below, he sighed, and then glanced back up at the sky, which was twinkling back at him by now, stars against the inky black.

"The skies are like diamonds," he said softly. Then, turning sharply round, military coat swirling behind him, he headed towards the door. "Coming?" he said looking back at Tosh.

She looked back at the starry sky. "The skies are like diamonds," she thought, Jack's voice echoing like a ghost in her head. "Yes, I'm coming!" and she followed her Captain back to the hub. Whatever the words Bad Wolf meant to the Captain, she thought, they were about to find out.

_A/N: Few. First Chapter completed! Now...see that little button at the bottom? All you need to do is click "submit review" and lemme know what you think ;) Wether you hate it or love it. Though no flames please, negative people upset me. _


	2. Changing Time lines

_A/N: Thanks so much for your reviews ) The plot will move on a bit more in this chapter, some of you may be confused by it, but it will be explained more in chapter 3. On with the Fic.._

Slamming his foot down on the accelerator, Jack swung the steering wheel round almost 90 degrees, tires screeching their protest on the tarmac roads.

He heard three thumps against the side of the SUV as his team were thrown from there seats.

Toshiko, using the door handle to pull herself upright, straightened her glasses and brought up the monitor, which had switched itself off after being thrown around like a piece of plastic.

"Sharp right, left, then right again at the junction!"

Following Tosh's instructions, he braked hard to prevent the back end of the SUV over balancing and pulling the rest of the car over as they dashed round the corner.

"It's not a sport's car Jack!" moaned Gwen from the back.

Jack ignored them; the words "Bad wolf" were still floating around in his mind.

He had to get there before they left, but there was one thing that was bothering him, one thing that he couldn't figure out.

He had just met the Doctor again, after years of waiting. But something told him, gut instinct, that something was going on, and he couldn't put his finger on it.

He looked out of the driver's side window, the street lights were dancing on the wet tarmac roads, winking at him as the beams of light were reflected off the puddles of water.

The lights were causing an eerie red tint on the windows of the SUV, making it look as though a fountain of blood, mixed with oranges and yellows was pouring down from the heavens.

Jack turned a sharp right at the junction, and took the next left.

Swinging the SUV round the corner he pulled up next to the Inn, screeching to a halt, causing his team to fall forwards in their seats.

"Nice, thanks Jack. When i want a roller coaster ride, I'll go to a theme park!" complained Owen.

Pulling the keys out of the ignition, Jack yanked open the drivers door and slid out of the seat.

Toshiko and Gwen got out behind him, while Owen remained slumped in his seat.

They all turned and looked questioningly at him when he made no attempt to join them.

"Wait a minute for my stomach to catch up with us...ah. Were all here now."

Owen had just leaned over and vomited all over the seat, earning a giggle from Toshiko and Gwen.

"Thanks allot, Harkness. I'll never live that down now!"

Jack grinned. "You'll be paying for those seats out of your wages."

"I would- if I had decent wages to begin with!"

Owen climbed grudgingly out of the SUV, slamming the door shut behind him.

Behind them, as they turned and headed towards the Inn, the car clicked satisfyingly and the head lights dimmed and slowly faded away.

Jack checked his Time Vortex manipulator for readings.

"Okay" he said, turning to the team.

"The readings are coming from the basement of the Inn. I want weapons out- if necessary, shoot first, and ask questions later."

"The Torchwood way" Said Gwen sarcastically.

Jack shrugged and as they came up to the entrance of the pub, he pulled out his gun, the others followed his lead.

Standing with his side to the door, he put his full weight on it and kicked it open, aiming his gun in front of him.

He entered carefully, taking in his surroundings.

There was a large log fire with a grand looking mirror hung over it, flowers decorated the mantel piece. The bar was opposite the fire, glasses hung upside down over the pine table; typical bar stools had been turned upside down and lined up side by side on the table top.

The stools had also been turned upside down on the rest of the tables too.

Leather couches lined the windows, a few cushions stacked neatly in the corners of the arm rests. Paintings of wolves lined the walls, which slightly unnerved Jack.

Jack weaved his way through the tables, being careful not to knock any chairs off the table tops as he went past. He blessed the dusty and carpeted floor beneath his feet, which muffled the teams foot steps, giving them an advantage if they needed it.

They came to a large wooden door with a brass handle at the other end of the pub.

"Why do we always get aliens that hide in basements!? Don't they realize that hiding in basements is so last century?" Owen continued to whine, not taking any notice of the glares coming from the rest of the team.

"It's always the same. Scary pubs, basements. It's like a real life horror story."

"Owen, if you don't shut up I'll stick this gun-"

"Gwen!" Jack silenced there bickering by making a slicing action with his hand across his neck and pointing towards the door.

Jack nodded to the rest of the team and took hold of the brass handle, opening the door with a loud click that echoed through out the pub.

Gwen Snorted. "So much for keeping under cover"

Jack just glared back in response.

"The signals stronger now, it's defiantly still here" Toshiko had her hand held in one hand and gun in the other.

The team stopped and listened, there was a strange noise coming from further down the hall, which sounded similar to an engine, though there was something calming and reassuring about it.

Jacks heart skipped a beat- he could recognize that sound anywhere.

He almost ran down the rest of the passage, forgetting about his team behind him.

The sound gradually grew louder and eventually they came to a door, a soft blue light was shining out from underneath the door, casting an eerie shadow around the hall way.

Gripping hold of the door handle, gun pointing ahead of him in his other hand, he pushed the door open and let it swing on its hinges.

Jack nearly dropped his gun in shock when he saw what was inside the room.

His team stared at him quizzically.

"No-it can't be you!" Jack stuttered and took a few steps backwards in complete suprise.

"How can it be you!?"

The man, who was stood in front of the Tardis, grinning manically at them, just stared at the team. He had one hand behind his back, while the other hand was supporting a silver pistol, which was currently pointing straight at Jacks heart.

"Jack, who is he?" Gwen's voice was filled with confusion and worry. She had never seen Jack loose his nerve on a mission before.

"See Jack. The thing about gloves..." the man held the gun steady in one hand, whilst bringing the other from round his back.

The team gasped in shock as they recognized the metal glove the man was holding in his hand.

The team heard a shuffling noise in the corner of the room and Jack could feel them all tense up behind him.

"...Is that they always come in pairs" the man had stepped out of the shadows, grinning just as manically as the man stood in front of the Tardis.

Before Jack could react, the master pulled the trigger.

Jack stumbled backwards, doubling over in pain, his eyes widened as he looked at the two masters stood before him.

He heard several shots go off before everything went black.


	3. Men in Black

_A/N: Sorry about the long wait for the next chapter, but i've been busy with my other fics. I hope you like this chapter, please review! _

When Jack awoke he found that he was in a small, cramped room. The light, which was hanging on a long, thin wire, kept flickering, causing eerie shadows, which danced across the dirty floor and walls.

Jack was slumped against the wall, his hands were held high above his head. He tried to move but grunted in pain. The noise did not go un-heard.

"Ahhhh, Jack Jack Jack! Long time no see." Jack spun his head round so fast that his neck cracked. He moaned and closed his eyes against the pain. The chains binding his wrists clanked threateningly.

The figures of two men stood in the far corner. The flickering light made them look ghostly.

"Master?" Jack ground out. He wouldn't believe it, he couldn't believe it. The Master was gone; Lucy had killed him. _Brave Girl, _thought Jack. _Stupid, but brave._

The Master grinned. "Yup! Alive and kicking, much to everybody's joy."

Jack's eye's narrowed when he realized he was alone.

"What have you done with my team?" he rasped. _Why was he finding it so difficult to speak?_

The Master's grin widened. It was a frightening sight.

"They're a little…uh, tied up."

Jack rolled his eyes.

"Oh pur-lease! Try and come up with something more original!"

The Masters grin slid off his face, and turned into a sly smirk. Jack nodded at the other man stood next to him.

"So, who's the Doppelganger?" he asked, trying to sound casual, when in fact, he was terrified.

"Ah wouldn't you like to know?" grinned the doppelganger.

Jack cocked his head to one side, sizing him up.

"Well, yes, actually."

The real Master clapped his hands together in a 'Let's get the party started' fashion. He hunkered down to Jack's level.

"Right, kids. Are we listening?" he paused, mockingly. "Then I'll begin."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Toshiko was the first to wake up. She opened her eyes wearily, and instantly snapped them shut as pain exploded in her head. _Smart move girl, _she thought. She waited a few minutes, getting her bearings before trying to open her eyes again. She opened them slightly, squinting. It didn't take her long to realize that it was the sharp glare of a brightly lit light that had triggered the pain in her head.

She allowed her eyes to adjust to the beam of the light and fully opened them, taking in her surroundings. They were in a large, spacious room, with high walls. In the corner of a room, stood a large blue police box. It was glowing, and had the letters "Police, Public call," engraved along the top. The words "Bad Wolf" were spray painted in white all over it. The rest of her team were sprawled out next to her. She noticed that the room held three extra people. A bald man dressed all in black was sitting slumped against the wall, his hands cuffed together in front of him in the same fashion as her own. Beside him a young blonde girl was sprawled awkwardly on the floor. And lying next to her was-

"Jack!?"

Jack didn't wake up, he merely shifted his position. _But he doesn't look like Jack_, she thought. He was wearing normal clothes, not his usual World War Two attire. He wore a beige jacket and a casual blue t-shirt, along with denim jeans and smart looking boots. Toshiko was beginning to feel increasingly nervous. _Who are these people? And where was her Jack?_

A loud grunt startled her. She looked round as the strange man dressed in black was beginning to wake up. For some reason, she was beginning to associate him with the film 'men in black.' She guessed she'd call him _the man in black_ until she worked out who he was.

"Hello!" the man in black had fully woken up. He was grinning stupidly at her.

"And who do I have the pleasure of meeting?"

Toshiko blushed awkwardly and muttered "Toshiko Sato."

The man in black grinned even wider. "Well nice to meet you, Toshiko! Though I could say differently about the circumstances." He winked at her.

When he saw her starring quizzically at him, he said,

"How rude of me! My name's the doctor, and seeing as how my two friends are asleep- lazy sods- I'll take the liberty of introducing them. The girl snoring her head off is Rose Tyler, a London Shop Girl, and the con-man who'll flirt with anything that moves is Jack Harkness."

"_Captain,"_ groaned a small voice. _"It's Captain. How many times do I have to tell you?"_

The Doctor merely grinned.

"Jack?" asked Toshiko uncertainly.

"You one of his many girl friends?" asked the blonde woman- Rose, who'd opened a bleary eye.

" 'ad half the world he has. And not just earth, either."

Toshiko blushed. Jack saw this and grinned.

"No!" she cried indignantly. "He's my boss!"

Jack frowned. "I ain't your boss, luv." He said.

"_Concussion,_" he mouthed at the doctor. But the Doctor shook his head.

"I think some things going on here. Some ones been messing with time. I don't think our Toshiko here has concussion."

There was silence for a few minutes while Toshiko took everything in. Someone was messing with time, but they couldn't- could they? There was no such thing as time travel, even in the job she was in, she had never come across a time travelling device. _Keep an open mind, _her reason told her. _Analyse the situation and then come up with a smart plan to get everyone out. That's what Jack hired you for after all._ But, the Jack sat in front of her- who was currently flirting with Rose, wasn't her Jack. Suddenly she remembered something she had over heard Jack say. What was it? _The right kind of doctor._

"The right kind of doctor," she muttered, not realizing she'd spoken her thoughts aloud.

The doctor's head snapped up. "What did you say?"

Toshiko shrugged. "It's just something my Jack said."

"What's with all the chit-chat?" a loud voice from the other end of the room shouted.

"Leave us all out why don't you!? And- Jack!"

Owen stopped ranting abruptly. The other three were also starring curiously at the Jack sat next to Rose.

Rose shot him a questioning look.

He shrugged. "Animal magnetism," he whispered, causing her to giggle.

"You've changed your wardrobe," Ianto remarked, taking in his casual appearance.

"Suits you sir." Said Owen sarcastically.

Gwen chortled and blushed when every one stared at her. "Sorry." She mumbled.

The doctor just grinned.

"So! Would someone like to tell us what the hells going on, and where's our Jack because you're obviously not him-" he said nodding at Jack. "- And how the hell our we gunna get ourselves outta this mess?"

Rose smiled at Owen. She'd taken a liking to him.

"Ah," said the doctor, his eyes twinkling.

"Now that's where I come in."


	4. The Great Beyond

_A/N: Okay...It took me an awful long time to write this chapter, mainly because the Master is explaning everything (and it's very complicated, to say the least DX) and i had to figure out exactly how to write him, as i've never written the Master in any of my stories so far. Also certain aspects of Cannon have been changed to fit my story. This idea was really inspired when i watched an interview with one of the directors who said their were two gauntlets, and they'd like to bring one back. I wanted to write my own version. Anyways please bear with me-- this chapters been hell to write Thanks again to all my wonderful reviewers, I'm glad you all seem to like the story so far :) Please review and let me know what you think of this chapter- Thanks!_

Jack listened to the Master talking in disbelief. Surely no one in their right minds would go to such drastic measures to make sure they stayed alive—and he wasn't just alive…there was two of them, which made the situation at hand even more worrying. The Master grinned at the look of shock and disbelief on Jacks face. He often had that effect on people.

"While you and the Doctor were dilly dallying around trying to figure out a cunning escape plot and my down fall- both of which didn't work, by the way, I took the liberty of borrowing you're Vortex Manipulator." Jack sucked in a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding when the Master held up the familiar leather strap. The light from the ceiling bounced off it, winking almost mockingly at him. Jack swore under his breath…he thought he had an idea of what was coming next.

The Master smirked. "Well, when I say borrowing…I mean borrowing with absolutely no intention of giving it back to you."

Jack rolled his eyes in exasperation. It was one of the Masters greatest weaknesses, a weakness which had allowed him to escape last time, and a weakness that he was planning on using to his advantage this time. The Master loved the sound of his own voice.

"So, with you and the Doctor out of the way, I used this amazing piece of technology…well, amazing for you primitive apes anyway- I would have used my TARDIS but well…as you know she was staying exactly where she was, for the time being." He grinned wickedly and Jack glared right back at him. It wasn't _his _TARDIS, and he'd cannibalised her. He shuddered, thinking about the incident him and his team had with the cannibals last year. The Master was no different to them, really. _Sick, twisted, smarmy git-_

"I took a stroll forwards in time…I wanted to know the out come of all this. And, depending on what the out come was, I also had the tool to fix it." He held up the resurrection gauntlet in his other hand.

"I'm the creator of the glove. _Gloves_- to be exact. When I was stuck on that stupid planet at the end of the Universe, before I met that annoying alien, her with her _Chan and her Dho's-_" he pulled a horrible face at Jack and mimed her.

"Driving me insane she was. But never mind that now. As I was saying, I made two gloves, but I lost the other one. As a human I didn't understand where it had gone, I always kept them safe…If anyone had found them, well you can imagine. But now I know it fell through the rift…and you and you're little team found it. My suspicions were confirmed earlier by the look on there faces." The Master paused and stared at Jack.

"You're little tea-boy was right. Gloves always come in pairs. Maybe you should listen to him more often." The Master winked at him.

"I created them both. They only really work properly together, by using them both you can bring a person back to life without the life being sucked out of the user…like you're dear little Gwen."

Jack narrowed his eyes. He could spot one very big flaw in this.

"But the other glove was destroyed. Toshiko destroyed it," he added, his voice thick with pride- if just to annoy the Master.

"Of which I am fully aware," the Masters grin grew even wider.

"Because I'm a Time Lord I have the ability to control time…I have that right. As does the Doctor…but he'd never use that right, _stupid fool_." He spat.

"I was able to bring myself back to life, with just the one glove. And because of my Time Lord genes, my future self was able to cut the connection between my past self and the glove. The Paradox machine allows us both to live in the same time lines in harmony."

Jack spotted another pretty big flaw.

"But…the paradox machine-"

"Was destroyed?" The Master finished Jacks sentence. Jack tilted his head to one side. _This was going to be interesting,_ he thought.

"Wrong." Jack's head snapped up, confusion written all over his face.

"Again using the Vortex Manipulator- handy thing this is, I travelled backwards in time. Do you remember the first time earth made contact with the great beyond?" asked the Master.

"The Doctor and his lovely companion Rose Tyler were in London for the celebrations. I over powered them, stole his TARDIS and brought them both here. The Doctor was- is, in his Ninth regeneration."

The Master saw a glimmer of hope spark in Jack Harkness's eyes.

"The Doctors here? But…how did you over power them? Two on One-"

"I spray painted the words "Bad Wolf" on the TARDIS. Un be-known to most those words hold the power of the time vortex. Those words bind you three together. With those words spray painted over the TARDIS, she knew exactly where to go- clever girl." The Master paused for breath.

"The paradox machine is stuck in the future, and with the TARDIS here, I can continue my amazing plot to take over the world. The Toclafane will be joining us shortly, as I'm sure you'll be pleased to know. They've missed you."

"_BASTARD_!" Jack screamed.

Dangerous anger ignited behind the Masters eyes as he back handed Jack across the face, which sent him reeling back wards. The chains dug deeper into his wrists, causing him to scream in pain.

The Master grabbed Jacks hair and pulled him forcibly upwards so he was facing him.

"You'd do well to remember the lessons I taught you last year," he hissed, pulling out the laser screw driver. Jack eyed it with dread, the whites of his eyes giving away the tell tail signs of panic.

"Laser…" he whispered. "So much better than Sonic."

He let go of Jacks head and threw him bodily to the floor. Standing up he pointed the Screwdriver at him and hit the 'On' button.

"Lets see how long you last this time, Jack." He shouted over Jacks screams…which didn't cease for a long time.


	5. The Right Kind of Doctor

_A/N: Thank you so much to all my amazing reviewers. I hope you like this chapter. Please R&R. _

_Side note: I made up the part about how the Doctor came about getting his Sonic. It's not Cannon- at least, i don't think it is. _

_0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o_

Everyone jumped as Jack cried out in pain and doubled over, wheezing. Rose was by his side instantly.

"What's the matter?" she asked, trying to pull him into a sitting position. She yelled in frustration at the cuffs restrictions. All she could do was sit back and watch her friend suffer, and she hated it.

She heard someone shuffling beside her and looked round to see her Doctor starring worriedly at Jack writhing around in pain on the floor.

Owen, Gwen, Toshiko and Ianto had backed off into a corner, muttering quietly under their breaths and shooting anxious glances at Jack.

"Jack, can you hear me?" asked the Doctor in a loud and clear voice.

Jack looked up, eyes narrowed. "I'm not… bloody… deaf!" he gasped.

"Good! That would have made things much more complicated!" he said, grinning widely.

Jack choked out a laugh and Rose smiled faintly.

"Where does it hurt, Jack?" he asked more seriously this time.

"Living…up to…your name…now?" he wheezed.

The Doctor grinned one of his trade mark grins. "As always!"

"Jack," he said, in a more commanding tone. "You didn't answer the question."

Rose jumped backwards into the Doctor in shock as Jack suddenly let out an ear splitting scream. Jacks eyes rolled backwards into his head as his body started convulsing uncontrollably.

"Doctor, do something!" sobbed Rose over Jacks screams.

"Sonic Screwdriver- coat pocket!" he babbled.

"No no! The other pocket!" Sighed the Doctor exasperatedly, rolling his eyes.

Rose fumbled with difficulty in the Doctors pocket for the Sonic. She sighed in relief as her hands touched a cool, thin silver object.

The Doctor grinned as she pulled it out and held it in the light.

"Change the voltage," he instructed her. "Volume twelve. Burns through metal." He added as she raised a questioning eye brow.

The Doctor held out his hands and tightened the chains binding the two cuffs together. Rose held the Sonic to them with shaking hands.

"Do it!" yelled the Doctor over Jacks screaming. "Do it! Now Rose!"

Rose choked back a sob and hit the button. She'd never used the Screwdriver before. A familiar buzzing sound and a bright blue light filled the room, illuminating everything before a soft _clink _told them the chain had broken.

"Fantastic!" shouted the Doctor as he held Roses head and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Everyone gather round!" he yelled, encouraging the nervous Torchwood team forwards.

The Doctor took the Screwdriver out of Roses hands.

"We're gonna have to work quickly," he said, talking as he worked on freeing Rose.

"This isn't good, not good at all." The Doctor glanced over at Jack, who had significantly quietened down but was still convulsing.

"What do you thinks wrong, Doctor?" whispered Rose.

The Doctor looked up at her as the chain broke.

"It's only a guess," he said turning to Toshiko.

"But my guesses are usually pretty good. _Brilliant_, in fact." He added, grinning smugly at Rose.

"But I reckon someone's been messing with time. Just a gut feeling," he said, shooting another worried glance at Jack.

"And that's never good," he turned to Owen as Toshiko's chains fell apart.

Owen backed off into a corner, eyeing the device in the Doctors hand warily.

"Oh C'mon! Don't be such a sissy!" he said, wafting the Screwdriver in the air.

"It's only Sonic!"

Owen slowly edged his way towards the Doctor and held his hands out at arms length. The Doctor sighed and grabbed Owens arms, pulling him forwards. Owen yelped and tried to back off again.

"Hold still!" he grunted as he tried to keep the Sonic steady.

As soon as the Doctor broke through Owens chains he hastily turned to Gwen and Ianto, freeing them as quickly as he could.

Ignoring Ianto's muttered 'Thank yous' the Doctor knelt down beside his fallen companion. He wasn't sure whether to be relived or worried by the fact that his convulsions had subsided into a mild form of the shakes.

"I'm sorry Jack," he whispered, and held the Screwdriver to his head.

"No! What are you doing!?" Rose screamed and flung herself at the Doctor.

"Rose I've got to!" he struggled with her and finally managed to pin her against the wall.

"Listen to me! He's in pain! It's the only thing to do!" the Doctor grabbed hold of her arms and forced her to look at him. He could barely meet her tearful glare.

"It's the right thing to do," he said forcefully.

"I have to put him in a coma, so he won't feel pain! Don't you understand?" he whispered.

"But, but what if we can't wake him up…" she chocked.

The Doctor smiled reassuringly. "We will. I have to shut down part of his brain until we sort out this mess. Once we have- and we will, we always do! I can bring him back to the land of the living." He smiled sadly.

"Trust me Rose, it's better than the alternative."

Rose nodded numbly. "I trust you," she said softly.

"Good girl," he whipped away her tears with his thumb and turned back to Jack.

"Wait!" The Doctor turned around in exasperation.

"What?" he said, anger laced in his tones as the Sonic hovered above his friends head.

"I'm a doctor-" stuttered Owen.

The Doctor smiled. "Me too," he said, and pressed the button.

Jacks shaking body suddenly became mercifully still.

Rose couldn't help but smile in relief. _He looks peaceful,_ she thought. _My Doctor was right._

As if reading her thoughts, the Doctor placed a calming hand on her shoulder. She leaned into his touch and rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes.

"What happens to him now?" Owen asked harshly.

"You didn't have to do that!"

The Doctor looked Owen up and down.

"Yes, I did. And you know I did. The only safe place for him is the TARDIS." He pointed over to the spray painted blue box which was still stood humming happily in the corner of the room.

"He'll stay there until we've sorted this out. And then, like I said, I'll wake him up."

"What, just like that?" Owen clicked his fingers.

"You can't just wake someone up from a Coma! It goes against every law of science-"

"Ahhh. That's where you're wrong, lad." Said the Doctor kindly.

"You only fear what you do not understand," he said whilst gathering Jack up in his arms.

"And one day, maybe today, maybe next week, in a year or in a hundred years," he exclaimed, "You might understand. But you will always fear it if you don't understand it." He finished wisely.

"Then…make me understand!" said Owen desperately, failing his arms around in the air.

"All this," he said, pointing at Jack, "Goes against everything I've ever been taught, Doctors around the world would-"

"I'm not ordinary Doctor," he said, standing up, struggling slightly with Jacks weight. He hefted Jack into a more comfortable position in his arms.

"And this isn't something I can make you understand. You have to understand it yourself. Rose did, Jack did, and I did. You will too." He smiled warmly at the young doctor and turned back to the TARDIS.

"Five minutes!" he called over his shoulder to Rose.

Toshiko frowned as the pair disappeared behind the blue double doors.

"How can they both fit in there?" she asked dubiously.

"You too," added Gwen. "All three of you travel together, right?"

Rose starred at Gwen, pulled herself together and nodded. Gwen had taken her by surprise; she hadn't spoken much at all since their capture.

"Aye. All three of us." She said smiling faintly.

"How do you fit in a police box?" repeated Toshiko.

"And why is it a police box, come to that," added the young welsh man, Ianto.

"It's a different…uh, kinda ship," said Rose awkwardly.

"An' I dunno why it's a police box. I remember 'im tellin' me once on one of his travels that it got stuck in the 50's or summat. His ship was a shape shifter- fitted in with its surroundings, see? But it got stuck. I don't remember why. He was probably talkin' to fast. Does that allot," she added, smiling.

The doors burst open and the Doctor clapped his hands together excitedly.

"Right team!" he shouted.

"First things first," he twirled the Sonic in between his fingers.

"Let's bust us outta this gaol." He said, putting on a fake Texan drawl.

The Doctor sauntered up to the large metal doors and took aim.

"Why Sonic?" asked Ianto unexpectedly as the Doctor set the notch up to 60.

The Doctor turned to Ianto and shrugged.

"I never did fancy Laser," he said, and hit the button.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

All six of them pelted down the dusty corridor, coughing and spluttering through the thick smoke and dust from the explosion.

"I forgot to ask," panted Rose, who had caught up with the Doctor.

"Why do you call it volume?" she wheezed.

The Doctor frowned. "Why'd you ask?"

Rose shrugged. "I thought you'd call it something like I dunno, beam or…or something more…Spock." She finished lamely.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "Spock?" he repeated.

Rose shrugged, embarrassed.

"It used to be a TV remote," he informed her.

Rose looked at him incredulously. This time it was the Doctor's turn to shrug.

"Hey, I needed a weapon- pronto. So I nicked my friends Remote control. They had to buy a new Television set, but it saved my life." He said, grinning widely. Rose couldn't help but grin too.

"It even came with an instruction manual," he said, apparantly extremely pleased with himself.

"So you nicked your friends remote," she concluded, hardly believing it.

"Yup. I always did wonder why they never invited me for tea again." He said, looking momentarily puzzled.

His expression changed so suddenly from puzzled to ecstatic that it would have shocked any other person. Any other person- but not Rose.

"But hey!" he said, shrugging. "You win some, you loose some."

Rose laughed. "And you win allot," she said.

The Doctor grinned. "I _always _win," he laughed as they rounded the corner.

The Doctor and Rose came to an abrupt halt outside another metal door. The Torchwood team crashed into them, sending them flying into the door. They hit the door with a loud _thunk_ that echoed around the narrow halls.

"Well that's buggered up our 'surprise the enemy' plan, hasn't it?" remarked Owen unhelpfully.

Rose sniggered. Owen turned to look at her incredulously.

"You think this is funny?" he said, gesturing back to where they'd come from and at the door in front of them, blocking their way.

"Always look on the bright side of death," added the Doctor, much to Owens annoyance.

The Doctor had pulled out his Sonic again, and was about to blast open the door when the handle turned and the door creaked slowly open of its own accord.

"I don't suppose you've already thought of this," whispered Toshiko to the Doctor.

"But this has all the hallmarks of a trap." She said nervously.

The Doctor grinned. "That's exactly what I was thinking," he said, and stepped into the room.

It took the group a few seconds to adjust to the dim light of the room. Rose was the first one to recover. She gasped and ran towards the crumpled figure on the floor.

"No!" hissed the Doctor pulling her back.

Owen swore under his breath as his eyes took in the sight before him.

"Doctor…" he croaked.

"I know," he replied sadly. "I know."

"That's why our Jack was in pain," said Rose shakily.

The Doctor could only nod.

The team stared at the crumpled figure of Jack Harkness, chained to the wall, covered in blood and dirt.

He was asleep,_ just like my Jack,_ thought Rose. But he didn't look peaceful. Scars covered his face and he looked haggard, beaten and broken. The sight broke her heart. Dark bags shadowed his eyes. Rose chocked back a sob.

"Who'd do something like this?" whispered Ianto angrily.

"That would be moi."

The team looked round to see a man stood behind them, blocking their only escape rout. He wore a smug expression on his face and folded his arms neatly. He could have given Ianto a run for his money in his taste in suits.

"What!?" yelled the Doctor, completely taken aback.

The Master grinned manically.

"What?" he asked again, still waiting for an answer.

Ianto tried to make a break for the door. The Masters doppelganger stepped beside his double, grinning the same manic grin. Ianto stumbled backwards in surprise as one of the two took out a thin, metal stick that looked very much like…

The Doctor eyed it nervously.

"_What_…?"


	6. Embracing Faith

_Authors Notes: Thank you so much to everyone who's reviewed. I'm so surprised how well people are responding to this story. Thank you so much!_

The Doctor leaned forwards in his stiff wheel chair and placed his head in his hands.

"Tired, old man?"

The Doctor didn't even bother to look round.

Lucy Saxon made her way towards him, her designer shoes making a soft "_Clip clop_" across the hard wooden floor.

She grabbed hold of the handles and spun the chair so the Doctor was facing out to the large window.

"Look," she said icily.

The Doctor ignored her.

"_Look_!" she said again, but this time with a note of mad hysteria in her voice.

The Doctor looked.

Hundreds of Toclafane swarmed the skies, blades whirling, screeching in delight as they destroyed continent after continent. The ground below them burned and perished.

"See that?" she asked, pointing at the earth below them.

"Mine." She said happily, and strode away leaving him starring in despair at the burning earth thousands of miles below.

The Doctor connected himself to the psychic network again and continued to try and integrate himself into the Archangel telepathic field as he had been doing before Lucy rudely interrupted. He tried to calm his building anger- which was difficult with the sight below him.

Suddenly he shivered. The shivers shook through his old and frail body. He gripped hold of the cold metal armrests, his palms becoming sweaty and hot slipped off. He gasped as the shivers slowly subsided. They stopped almost as soon as they started. He felt as though…what was the term humans use? Oh yes. It was like someone had walked over his grave. And that only meant one thing to a Time Lord. Someone was messing with time.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"_What!?"_

"Docta'" Rose clicked her fingers in front of the Doctors gob smacked face.

"What?" he turned to face her instead.

"Stop sayin' 'What' it's _rude_." She folded her arms across her chest as though scolding an infant.

"Oh, am I being rude again?"

Rose nodded.

"Sorry."

"What…I mean, stop it!" the Master spluttered and failed his arms around, apparently annoyed by the fact that he wasn't the centre of attention.

His doppelganger smirked and mimicked him. The Master rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"He's a bit slow," he drawled, pointing at his double.

"But never mind that!" the Master clapped his hands together excitedly, making Jack jump.

Eight heads swivelled towards the sounds as the chains clanked against the walls. Tosh and Ianto glanced side ways at each other guiltily. In all the chaos, they had completely forgotten about Jack.

"Wakey Wakey!" The Master jeered.

"Let him go!" piped up Gwen as Jack raised his head to survey the group.

The Master smirked. "What's your name…Gwen? Oh yes! I remember!"

Gwen looked taken aback as she shot a nervous look at Owen. "_How does he know my name_?" she mouthed. Owen shrugged.

"We've met," said the Master lazily.

"Stop this, right now!" The Doctor glared at the Master.

"It's gone far enough."

The group tensed as the Master strode towards Jack. He hunkered down to Jacks level, grabbing a fist full of hair and yanking Jacks head up, exposing his neck.

"Oh," he said, pulling out a sharp blade. "I really don't think it has."

The Master ran the blade across Jacks throat and grinned.

Ianto flinched.

"Stop!"

The Doctor lunged.

He grabbed the Masters arm and pulled it behind his back, easing the blade out of the Masters hand forcefully.

The Doctor pinned the Master against the wall as Jack sagged, wheezing.

Gwen ran towards him, embracing him protectively as he rested his head on her shoulder.

"Why are you doing this?" The Doctor snarled.

"Because I have that right."

"You _don't_. A time lord is supposed to protect time- _not change it!_"

The Master shrugged.

"Fix what you've broken," hissed the Doctor, narrowing his eyes.

"No can do."

"Why?"

The Master smirked.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out."


End file.
